“Fuck!”
Ye Xihe couldn’t help but curse. Survival instinct kicked in and she immediately retreated, swinging the baseball bat with all her strength and smashing it into the zombie’s shoulder.
The zombie was her next door neighbor. Before the Apocalypse, he had been a fitness coach with a body full of muscle. With Ye Xihe’s strength, there was no way she could overpower him.
Without pausing for even a second, the zombie continued lunging toward her.
With a loud thud, she was knocked to the ground. The back of her head slammed heavily against the floor, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.
Grayish blue fingernails dug into Ye Xihe’s shoulder, and blood gradually soaked through her clothes.
Tears sprang from the pain. Looking at the hideous face only inches away, despair surfaced in her eyes.
Was she really destined to die no matter what?
But Ye Xihe refused to give up. Enduring the pain, she struggled to reach toward the scissors lying on the table.
The zombie grew even more excited after smelling fresh human blood. Opening its gaping mouth, it bit down toward Ye Xihe’s slender neck!
“Xihe!!!”
Ye Huizhou arrived just in time to witness the scene. His eyes nearly split with rage as he raised a hand and unleashed the lightning gathered in his palm.
But he was too late.
A split second before the lightning struck, the zombie’s teeth sank into Ye Xihe’s fair neck.
She let out a pained cry and instinctively pushed against the zombie’s head with both hands.
With bloodshot eyes, Ye Huizhou roared. The lightning surged violently, crackling as it rained down upon the zombie.
At that critical moment, a soft milky white glow suddenly emerged from the palm Ye Xihe had pressed against the zombie’s forehead.
The originally ferocious zombie froze stiffly. The gray patterns covering its body gradually faded away until it finally turned into a black, mummified corpse.
Ye Huizhou had no time to care about what had happened. He kicked the corpse aside and pulled Ye Xihe into his arms.
“Xihe, how are you? Can you still move?”
Leaning against his broad shoulder, Ye Xihe only felt that every wound on her body was both painful and unbearably itchy.
“Big Brother.” She raised a hand and pushed at him, wanting him to stay farther away. “I was bitten. I’ll turn into a zombie. You… don’t stay so close.”
Ye Huizhou’s fingertips trembled slightly, yet he held her even tighter. Looking at her, his heart felt as though it were being torn apart.
The little girl he had treasured in the palm of his hand and raised for more than ten years.
Once again, he had been too late.
He had failed to protect her.
His throat tightened, leaving him unable to speak.
What was he supposed to do?
Ye Huizhou, who had always been decisive and ruthless, found himself lost for the first time.
How could he save her?
After a long moment, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice.
“I’m sorry… Xihe. Big Brother came too late.”
Ye Xihe gently shook her head.
As she moved, the bite wound on her neck became visible. Ye Huizhou’s gaze landed on it, and his pupils contracted.
The grotesque wound was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Not only was it not turning black, but no veins were bulging beneath the skin.
There wasn’t the slightest sign of infection.
He lowered his head and looked at Ye Xihe.
She seemed completely unaware. Her brows were still tightly furrowed, pain lingering in her eyes.
“Xihe,” Ye Huizhou called softly. “How does your wound feel right now?”
“It hurts. It itches.”
Despair filled Ye Xihe’s heart.
Even if she hadn’t died immediately, anyone bitten would definitely become infected.
She was going to turn into an ugly zombie!
“Big Brother, if I become a zombie, will you still take care of me?”
For some reason, the question made Ye Huizhou think of something. His expression stiffened and darkened instantly.
Ye Xihe: ?
Afraid of frightening his Little Sister, Ye Huizhou quickly restrained his emotions and looked at her seriously.
“I will.”
“Xihe, don’t worry. No matter what you become, Big Brother will take care of you.”
While he spoke, Ye Xihe suddenly realized her wound no longer hurt.
Huh?
She moved slightly.
It really didn’t hurt anymore.
Had she already begun transforming into a zombie?!
Ye Huizhou looked at her expression and fell silent.
The little girl was so simple-minded that every thought showed plainly on her face.
With a complicated expression, he handed her a mirror.
Looking into it, she saw that the terrifying wound had completely disappeared, leaving behind only a faint pink scar.
Ye Xihe blinked.
Could it be that she was the chosen daughter of fate?
Was she Heaven’s favorite daughter?
Thinking back to the gentle white light from earlier, Ye Huizhou rolled up his sleeve and revealed a wound on his forearm.
“Xihe, see if you can feel any kind of power inside your body.”
Ye Xihe focused her thoughts, and a milky white glow immediately appeared in her palm once more.
Ye Huizhou brought his wound closer.
Under both of their gazes, the freshly scabbed injury healed at an astonishing speed, leaving behind only a faint mark.
“It’s a healing ability!”
Grabbing Ye Huizhou’s arm, Ye Xihe became excited.
“Big Brother! We have a lifesaving trump card now!”
Ye Huizhou was exceptionally intelligent. In almost an instant, he understood why his Little Sister had been abducted for human experimentation in the previous life.
This seemingly lifesaving ability was simply too special.
Until the day he died in his previous life, he had never heard of anyone awakening a healing ability.
The one and only healing type.
This wasn’t a lifesaving trump card.
It was a death warrant.
Meanwhile, Ye Xihe excitedly searched him for injuries and healed every wound she found.
Suddenly, Ye Huizhou pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.
His only family.
The flower he had raised with his own hands.
No matter what, he would protect her.
The muscular arms wrapped around her nearly squeezed the breath out of her. Struggling, Ye Xihe raised a hand and patted his strong shoulder.
“Big Brother… too tight…”
Ye Huizhou loosened his grip and buried his emotions deep within his eyes.
“Xihe, you absolutely cannot let anyone know about your healing ability. Understand?”
Realization struck Ye Xihe, and her face turned pale.
She nodded.
She had also remembered the people in the original novel who had captured the younger sister for experiments.
“Big Brother, we can’t stay at home anymore.”
“Mm.” Ye Huizhou nodded. “I came back to take you away anyway.”
“Where are we going?”
“The Central Protection Zone.”
The Apocalypse had arrived suddenly, but the government’s response had been equally swift. In their previous life, protection zones had quickly been established across the country.
With an ability as unique as Ye Xihe’s, an ordinary regional protection zone probably wouldn’t be able to protect her. Only the national central zone would truly be safe.
The siblings immediately began packing.
As she packed, however, Ye Xihe suddenly felt that something was strange.
In the original novel, Ye Huizhou hadn’t returned this early.
She secretly glanced at her brother, who was preparing weapons.
Could her transmigration have caused a butterfly effect?
“Xihe, we may have to live as wanderers for a long time. Bring everything we might need.”
The interruption pulled her thoughts away, and she stopped dwelling on it. Taking all the food she had hidden in her wardrobe, she stuffed it into her backpack.
“Okay, Big Brother.”
She placed all the luggage on the sofa.
One bag contained food, mostly instant meals that could be stored for a long time and filled the stomach easily.
Another held clothes, one set for each season. Clothing took up space, and bringing too much would only become a burden.
The last bag contained daily necessities. She packed plenty of tissues and sanitary pads.
Clapping her hands in satisfaction, Ye Xihe looked toward her brother.
Then she saw him pull out a—Carbon-based lifeform stabilizer.
Ye Xihe’s eyes widened.
Big Brother, it’s only the first day of the Apocalypse and you already got your hands on one of those?
What kind of outlaw are you?